Detroit Tigers: Prospects in Justin Verlander trade give team bright future

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DENVER, CO – AUGUST 30: Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning of a game at Coors Field on August 30, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Detroit Tigers fans saw the team’s face-of-the-franchise, Justin Verlander, traded on Wednesday night. The move signals the start of a rebuild, but the team has a bright future.

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila did extremely well in the Justin Verlander trade on Wednesday night.

Trading Verlander will obviously be a tough pill to swallow for fans given what the ace has meant to the franchise and the city, but the three players acquired for the veteran give Detroit pieces to contend well into the future.

The Tigers announced the trade with the Houston Astros in a tweet on the team’s official Twitter account on Wednesday night.

Detroit tweeted the following:

“We’ve acquired Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron & Jake Rogers from the Astros in exchange for Justin Verlander & a PTBNL or cash considerations.”

The haul is one to get excited about, and it’s headlined by Perez.

Franklin Perez

Still just 19-years-old, the converted infielder already reached the Double-A level in Houston’s system this season.

That fact in itself is encouraging considering Perez’ age, however the right-hander has found plenty of success with Double-A Corpus Christi.

Playing against competition that is on average 5.1 years (!) older than him, Perez has pitched to a 3.09 ERA in 32 innings.

Perez being that advanced at only 19 is impressive enough, but the starter also mixes in four pitches.

In addition to a promising fastball that can hit the mid-90s, the right-hander throws a 12-6 curveball that could be a plus pitch, as well as well as a slider and a changeup.

All four pitches have the potential to be least above average in the Majors should Perez develop.

If he continues to develop at his current pace, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the prospect in Detroit down the stretch in 2018.

Even if he takes slightly longer to reach the Majors and begins pitching out of Detroit’s rotation in 2019, that’s a quick return for a pitcher who has the potential to be frontline starter.

All of a sudden, the Tigers’ future rotation looks even more promising when you add Perez to a mix that could also include Michael Fulmer, Matt Manning, Alex Faedo, Beau Burrows and Kyle Funkhouser.

DETROIT, MI – JUNE 28: A Detroit Tigers hat, glasses and glove sit on the dugout stairs during a MLB game against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park on June 28, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers win on a walk off home run 5-4. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /

Daz Cameron

Also joining the Detroit Tigers in the Justin Verlander trade is Daz Cameron.

An outfielder with tools, Daz is the son of former Major League outfielder Mike Cameron—a player who logged a 50.7 WAR in 17 Major League seasons.

It’s obviously unfair to compare Daz to his father—or any player to their father if he was a player in the Majors.

That being said though, Daz Cameron has a chance to make a significant impact in his own right.

Blocked in Houston long term by the likes of George Springer, Derek Fisher and Kyle Tucker, Cameron could potentially be a long-term starter in the Motor City.

Down the line, it isn’t hard to imagine Cameron slotting in alongside some combination of Christin Stewart, Mike Gerber and Derek Hill in the outfield.

As of late, Cameron has been enjoying a breakout season with Houston’s Single-A affiliate, Quad Cities.

In 511 plate appearance spread over 120 games, Cameron hit .271 with a .349 on-base percentage, a .466 slugging percentage and an .815 OPS.

He tacked on 79 runs scored, 73 RBI, 32 stolen bases, 29 doubles, 14 home runs and eight triples against competition on average 1.2 years older than him.

Cameron’s speed should allow him to cover some serious ground in the Comerica Park, making for a potentially dynamic defensive pairing with Hill.

If the former Houston famrhand’s offense continues to come together more over the years, he’ll be a regular in the Detroit Tigers lineup for the long haul.

DETROIT, MI – JUNE 07: A wide view of Comerica Park during a MLB game between the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels on June 7, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /

Jake Rogers

The last player involved in the deal, Jake Rogers, is a step ahead of Cameron in terms of minor league affiliates.

The backstop spent most of the 2017 campaign with Advanced-A Buies Creek.

Playing on a team that featured fellow top prospects like Perez, Tucker, Yordan Alvarez and Forrest Whitley, Rogers also had a breakout campaign.

A standout defensive catcher, Rogers showed some promise at the plate in 2017.

After hitting .233 with 16 RBI, 15 extra-base hits and a .718 OPS in 186 plate appearances in Short-season A-ball and Single-A in Houston’s system during his first professional campaign, Rogers turned in a .263 average, 70 RBI, 57 extra-base hits and an .824 OPS in 483 plate appearances for Quad Cities and Buies Creek.

The catcher also showed better plate discipline as he moved from Single-A to Advanced-A this season.

Rogers lowered his strikeout rate from 24.1 to 19.6 while upping his walk percentage from 7.8 to 12.0.

You can’t judge a player purely based on stats. However, if the backstop can continue to provide some offensive production as he moves up the organizational ladder, he’ll be able to carve out a role in the Majors.

Rogers’ acquisition also gives the Tigers another catching option for the future.

At this point, the team doesn’t have too many options for long-term replacements for James McCann and John Hicks, both 27.

Grayson Greiner has made it to Triple-A, but he’s already 24.

Next: Why the Tigers should give Christin Stewart, Mike Gerber a look in 2017

Elsewhere, 2017 draftees Sam McMillan and Joey Morgan are developing in the low minors. Adding Rogers to the mix with McMillan and Morgan gives the Tigers three promising catchers to choose from down the line.

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Detroit Tigers fans saw the team’s face-of-the-franchise, Justin Verlander, traded on Wednesday night. The move signals the start of a rebuild, but the team has a bright future.

Franklin Perez

Daz Cameron

Jake Rogers

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